KALAMAZOO, Mich. — After several years of not being used, the wind turbine at Western Michigan University is back up and running.
The university was able to rebuild the turbine thanks to a grant from an organization called Repowering Schools. WMU also received a little help from Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
The university’s officials say that the turbine puts WMU in a great spot for next year’s Collegiate Wind Competition. It also supports students pursuing a career in clean energy.
“Having this refurbished and, and brought back up to speed allows us to create a sustainable energy generation certificate at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,” said Bronco Construction Research Center Director Brian Montgomery. “So, the students can complement their undergraduate degrees.”
“The fact that we can go toe-to-toe with MIT, Kansas State, and Johns Hopkins means that we are, when it comes to engineering and comes to green energy, in the same league,” said Bronco Wind Team President Keilan McCann.
WMU's Wind Application Center is the only one of its kind located in Michigan.